Cold in July

Synopsis

In 1989, in the east of Texas, Ann Dane overhears a noise during the night and awakes her husband Richard Dane. He picks up his gun and stumbles with a burglar in the living room and accidentally shoots and kills the intruder. He is identified by the police as the wanted criminal Freddy Russell, but Richard is affected by the incident. Richard goes to the cemetery to see Freddy's burial and his father Ben Russell, who is also a criminal on parole, talks to Richard and asks for his son. Richard brings his son from the school and meets his wife at the police station, but the police inspector Ray Price cannot do anything to help him. Soon Richard finds that someone has broken in his house and the police officers stake out the place. However Ben breaks in the house but escapes. Ray calls Richard to tell him that Ben was arrested in Mexico and the case is closed. While leaving the station, he sees a picture of Freddy Russell and he realizes that he is not the burglar. Richard ...

In 1989, in the east of Texas, Ann Dane overhears a noise during the night and awakes her husband Richard Dane. He picks up his gun and stumbles with a burglar in the living room and accidentally shoots and kills the intruder. He is identified by the police as the wanted criminal Freddy Russell, but Richard is affected by the incident. Richard goes to the cemetery to see Freddy's burial and his father Ben Russell, who is also a criminal on parole, talks to Richard and asks for his son. Richard brings his son from the school and meets his wife at the police station, but the police inspector Ray Price cannot do anything to help him. Soon Richard finds that someone has broken in his house and the police officers stake out the place. However Ben breaks in the house but escapes. Ray calls Richard to tell him that Ben was arrested in Mexico and the case is closed. While leaving the station, he sees a picture of Freddy Russell and he realizes that he is not the burglar. Richard ...

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by trublu215 9 / 10

Gritty, brutal, and intense. Cold in July delivers

Cold In July marks the fourth and most mature feature for director Jim
Mickle, bringing electric performances and palpable suspense to an
otherwise unoriginal premise. What sets this film apart from other
films like it, such as Cape Fear, is the performances. Michael C. Hall
gives one hell of a performance, letting the audience see a vastly
different side of him. He generates a leading man quality in this film
that, in my opinion, he has never done before. From the
straight-out-of-the-80s mullet, to the tight Wrangler jeans, Hall fits
the mold of an ordinary man from small town Texas in the 80s and does
so very subtly without us ever thinking to ourselves that this man was
Dexter. As much as I liked Hall's performance in this film, Sam Shepard
and Don Johnson steal the film. Without giving too much away, Shepard
and Johnson are two of the seediest dirty characters not in a Rob
Zombie film. Each scene between Shepard and Hall generates a palpable
tension that would be difficult to do with any other actors in their
parts, respectfully. The story is interesting from jump street, its a
familiar type of story but it has so many great twists and turns that
you can't help but fall in love with it. The score here is also
immersing. It rings back to Blood Simple, or John Carpenter's
Halloween. It really throws us right into 1989 and does so with such
grace that it really needs some attention. Jim Mickle proves here that
he is a director to be reckoned with. As a fan of his previous films,
Stakeland and We Are What We Are, I was excited to see this film.
However, walking out of Cold In July made me ecstatic to see what he
does next. Overall, Cold In July is brutal, unrelenting backwoods
mayhem with great performances and plot twists galore. It definitely
lives up to the hype and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Ajit Tiwari 7 / 10

A Taut and Unsullied Thriller- Great Independent Cinema

A neo-noir directed by Jim Micklee based on a novel by Joe Lansdale, a
dark, grim and gritty tale of retaliation and retributions. The
ramifications of a murder, lead to the carnage and involved people can
go at any length. This is not your usual thriller but a compelling
mysterious story which keeps us at the edge of our seats.

Set in 1989 Texas, Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) a common family man,
one night defensively guns down an intruder. The police quickly
identify the corpse as a wanted criminal and bury him. Richard still
feels the remorse of killing a human being and goes to the cemetery
where the dead man's father Ben Russell (Sam Shepard) threatens to kill
Richard's young son. In order to save his family Richard takes police
help however consequently he unfolds some secrets, now Richard and Ben
will take the assistance of a brash private detective, Jim Bob (Dan
Johnson), to crawl to the core of Richard's uncertainty.

The narrative is paced with lots of twists and turns to keep us engaged
throughout the run time of 150 minutes. The minute details of 80's
Texas are just impeccable. The screenplay will keep you on your toes as
the tension builds subsequently. The overwhelming final shot portrays a
brutal and stylized violent scene which is fresh and instinctual.
However, some of the details are missing here as the some unexplained
loose ends which are not tied and there should have been a better
female cast.

The performances are brilliant, Hall is stellar as a protective family
man and the transformation his character is immaculate. Shepard is
remarkable as a distressed father, looking for his son. Johnson is a
scene stealer having as much fun as anyone can within such confine.

Cold in July is a captivating experience with tense and unsettling
tone. The independent cinema is at its best.

My Vite 7.5/10

Reviewed by Joe Chadowski 8 / 10

Dirty, seedy, pulpy, campy.... Awesome!

This dirty little piece of Texas pulp rides the fine line of art of trash with brilliant composure as its dark script teases you with how far it'll go. The seed is planted when an everyman kills an intruder in his home, and the story spins wildly out of control from there. The story moves forward at a brisk pace and never looks back. Sure that means there are as many holes as there are unanswered questions, but such is the case with pulp. You gotta live in the now, man. In the end, I'm still not sure how to process what I've seen, and I've gained no further insight or knowledge about myself, the world, or humanity. And I wouldn't have it any other way